


Not About the Bed

by Brumeier



Series: Bite Sized Fic [21]
Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Domestic, Emotional Baggage, Established Relationship, M/M, Prompt Fill
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-30
Updated: 2016-01-30
Packaged: 2018-05-17 03:42:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 919
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5852668
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Brumeier/pseuds/Brumeier
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>LJ Comment Fic for Curtain Fics prompt: <i>Any, any slash couple, shopping for a new bed for their new home</i></p>
            </blockquote>





	Not About the Bed

“You’re sucking all the magic out of it,” John complained.

“There’s no magic to picking out a bed, Colonel,” Rodney replied. “Did you think I just conjured the one I have on Atl…back home?”

John sighed. It wasn’t that he didn’t want a nice bed, but Rodney was much choosier about mattresses and headboards than he’d ever be. He didn’t like shopping, didn’t matter if it was for clothes or furniture. He’d always been a big proponent of renting furnished places, and during his brief marriage to Nancy he’d left all that interior decorating stuff up to her.

Rodney had insisted that John come with him.

“Stop being such a big baby. This shouldn’t take long.”

Famous last words. Rodney had demanded that the salesman show him every Tempur-Pedic mattress available. Each one had to be tested out of course, and so Rodney had John sitting and laying and bouncing on each one. He didn’t honestly notice much difference between them but Rodney sure did.

“This is much too soft. I’d have to start wearing a back brace.”

“Multi-zone? No. I don’t need a range of firmness, I want something firm. Period.”

Finally he settled on a mattress that made John choke when he saw the price tag. “Rodney! This is four grand!”

“You know I need something high-end for my bad back,” Rodney replied dismissively. He turned to the salesman. “I need this in King.”

“Regular or split King?”

“Regular will be just fine. Now let’s find a bed.”

John held Rodney back, one hand curled around his arm. “Rodney, we can’t spend that much on a mattress.”

“Do we have to talk again about how much money I have? That we _both_ have? What are you saving it all for?” Rodney tugged him along to the area of the showroom where the bed frames were. “This is our vacation home, and when I’m on vacation I want to be comfortable. If you’d rather sleep on a bedroll, knock yourself out.”

“I just think it’s excessive for a mattress.”

John didn’t even know why he was making such a big deal about it. When they’d gone shopping for a seaside home, which they’d only use at most three or four times a year on leave, he hadn’t batted an eye at the cost.

“This isn’t about the money,” Rodney said. He held a hand up to the salesman, indicating that the guy should back off for a minute. “If you’re having second thoughts, just say so.”

“I’m not having second thoughts. It’s just…”

Rodney waited, an uneasy look on his face, but John wasn’t sure what he was trying to say. Hell, he wasn’t even sure knew what the problem was.

“Buying the house was too much, wasn’t it? Too fast. Cadman told me I was rushing things, but things seemed to be going good between us.”

“They _are_ good!” John hastened to assure him, and all of a sudden the words were flooding out of him in a torrent. “And it was good with Nancy, too, and then we had the house and the furniture and the friends from the Country Club, and everything was really domestic. But it didn’t last. It was all for show, and it didn’t matter how much the living room set cost or how much she’d spent on a new car, because they were all just _things_ , and that’s all we had between us.”

“Well, that’s been building for a while.” Rodney walked John backwards until his knees hit the edge of a mattress and he sat down with a little bounce. “You’re worried we’re all stuff and no substance? Because you can’t seriously think that’s true, not after everything we’ve been through.”

Rodney sat beside him on the bed, and flapped a hand at the salesman when he looked like he wanted to come over.

“I know it’s not. I just…I don’t want to screw this up.”

“You didn’t screw up the last time, idiot. You and Nancy were a bad fit, even someone as socially stunted as me could see that. She never really knew you, not like I do.” Rodney took his hand, twined their fingers together. “And no-one knows me like you. No amount of pricey furniture is going to change that. You know I love you, right?”

John nodded, his throat suddenly tight. Rodney was right, he was an idiot. There was a level of understanding between the two of them that was deeper than anything John had ever experienced with anyone. It was time to let the last of the old fears go.

“But I’m not going to sacrifice my physical comfort for your emotional well-being, so we’re getting the mattress.” Rodney grinned, and leaned in for a kiss. “Plus, think of all the great sex we can have on a king-sized Tempur-Pedic bed. I’m talking about Olympic levels of fucking.”

John snorted in amusement, and rested his forehead against Rodney’s. “You’d better be able to back that up, McKay.”

“It hurts that you would even doubt me. Come on, let’s pick out a bed and get out of here.” Rodney got up and pulled John to his feet. He snapped his fingers at the salesman. “King sized bed frames. And I want same-day delivery.”

John decided it was in his best interest to have some input on the actual bed. After all, he needed something sturdy he could tie McKay to. Furniture shopping didn’t seem all that onerous once sex was factored in.


End file.
